Colonel Lewis "Carter" Burwell III, USAF (ret.), was born August 12, 1943, in Greensboro, NC. He was an Eagle Scout with gold and silver palms, member of the Order of the Arrow, an exchange scout with the Cuban Boy Scouts in the summer of 1956, attended the National Jamboree in 1957 and Philmont Scout Ranch in 1958. He graduated from Tabor Academy, a prep school located in Marion, Massachusetts in 1961. He received his Bachelor's Degree from the University of North Carolina (Chapel Hill) in 1966 in Business and Russian Language and was a member of the Sigma Nu fraternity. In 1982, he graduated from the Defense Intelligence College, Washington, DC with a Master's Degree in Soviet Area Studies. After completing this program, he graduated with highest honors (Superior Scholar) from Georgetown University receiving a Master's Degree in International Relations with a certificate in National Security Studies in 1983. In 1988, he graduated from SMU Cox School of Business in Dallas, TX and received his Executive MBA.

Colonel Lewis C. Burwell III was an individual mobilization augmentee (IMA) attached for training to the Air Force Intelligence Agency, Washington, DC and assigned for mobilization to the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA). In time of war or national emergency, he would be mobilized as an attaché to augment either the US Defense Attaché Office in Cairo, Egypt, or the Egypt country desk in Washington, DC. He had previously served as the Reserve Air Attaché in Syria and Jordan. Col Burwell was commissioned through Officer Training School (OTS), Lackland AFB, TX and entered active duty in May 1967. Following graduation from OTS, Col Burwell was assigned to the 507 ^lh Direct Air Support Squadron at Shaw AFB, SC. He was sent to Counterinsurgency School, Air-Ground Operations School at Eglin AFB, FL and Forward Air Controller training at Hurlburt Field, FL. In May 1969, he attended the 82 ^nd Airborne Jump School at Fort Benning, GA, & Pacific Jungle Survival School at Clark AB, Philippines, enroute to Southeast Asia. After completion of PJSS, he was transferred to the 23 ^rd Tactical Air Support Squadron (TASS) at Nakhon Phanom Royal Thai Air Base, Thailand. During this time, he was attached to the Army's 5 ^th Special Forces Group and flew 190 combat missions in Laos and Cambodia in support of Steel Tiger North & South as a forward air controller in support of the Army's highly classified "Heavy Hook" and "Prairie Fire" programs in OV-10 & O2-A aircraft. He separated from active duty in August 1971. Col Burwell joined the active Air Force Reserve in 1973 and served as reserve unit commander at Pope, AFB, NC, Seymour Johnson AFB, NC, Barksdale Air Force, LA as well as Glen View Naval Air Station, IL. In 1990, as a reservist, he was recalled to active duty from August 1990 to April 1991. He served on the DIA's Iraqi Task Force & was the Regional Desk Officer for the countries of Syria, Jordan, and Egypt in support of Operation Desert Shield/Desert Storm. In November 1994, Col Burwell was selected for additional responsibility as the IMA to the Commandant of the USAF Combat Aerial Delivery School (CADS) at Little Rock AFB, AR in support of the C-130 training programs. In response to an urgent EUCOM directed requirement, he acted as the Test Advisor and directed the Test, Evaluation, and Tactics development for integration of the AN/ALQ-131 Electronic Countermeasure Pod & Operational Testing & Evaluation of the new Adverse Weather Aerial Delivery (AWADS) AN/APN-241 low power color radar on the C-l30E/H series aircraft for use in the Bosnian AOR. In August 1995, Col Burwell was recalled to a three year special active duty tour with HQ AFRC, Office of Special Projects, Robins AFB, GA where he was appointed the Director of Operation TRANSAM/Walking Shield. This USC, Title 10 multi-million dollar joint service Military Innovative Readiness Training Program was administered by the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Reserve Affairs (OASD/RA). This project, conducted on behalf of the Indian Health Service and the Department of Interior, was a joint Air Force, Army, Navy, & Marine Corps Reserve effort, which involved closing military hospitals, dispensaries, & medical clinics in Western Europe, Asia, and the Far East, which had been established to support Desert Shield / Desert Storm. Once these medical items were recovered from these overseas facilities, they were repackaged and redistributed among the 541 Native American tribes located throughout the continental United States using the resources and manpower provided by the Reserve and National Guard units, which were undergoing annual training cycles.   Colonel Burwell also completed Squadron Officers School, Air Command and Staff College and Air War College by correspondence.

Colonel Burwell's military decorations include the Air Force Distinguished Service Medal, Legion of Merit, Defense Superior Service Medal, Bronze Star, Defense Meritorious Service Medal, Meritorious Service medal with one oak leaf cluster, Army Commendation Medal and Air Force Commendation with one oak leaf cluster. Colonel Burwell was selected for promotion to Reserve Brigadier General in 1995 and later retired in 1998.

As a civilian, 1972 he founded Pinehurst Airlines, which became a contract cargo airline for the freight forwarding community. This airline grew from a fleet of 10 DC-3/C-47s to 30 Japanese built, cargo converted YS-11's and 3 DC-9s. He sold the company to Airborne Freight Corporation, Seattle Washington in 1980. This airline was one of two airlines that created the foundation for the current Airborne Express (ABX) cargo airline. In 1984 he joined Metro Airlines, Houston Texas, as Vice President and special assistant to the President. Shortly thereafter, he moved to Dallas and as Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, founded the American Eagle Airlines, which became the first dedicated regional airline for American Airlines. After the reorganization of American Airlines and integration into US Air Airways, American Eagle was rebranded as Envoy Airlines in 2014. He later became Vice President of Marketing for AAR Corporation, Chicago, Illinois, a worldwide company supporting major airlines with aircraft maintenance and modification, inventory support and other airline services. In 1991 he moved to Little Rock and was Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of Arkansas Mod Center, later Arkansas Aerospace, a wholly owned subsidiary of British Aerospace, PLC. He remained in this capacity until the company was sold to Raytheon Corporation in 1993. From this point until his retirement in 1998 he provided a variety of consulting services in strategic planning, post-merger / acquisition integration programs, marketing and sales campaigns and operational management and technical service evaluations for British Aerospace, Shorts Aircraft (USA), Parker Hannifin (Cleveland Jet Center), Elsinore Aerospace, FFV Aerotech, Nordam Group, Savance Corporation, Celsius Group, Aircraft Services Group, Bank of New York Leasing, Banker's Trust Leasing, IBA (United Kingdom), First Chicago Leasing, West Virginia Air Center, Hollingshead International and TXI Aviation.

Amidst his accomplishments, our Carter had a lighter side to his life – his most precious dogs, his Carolina Tarheels, his 1972 Porsche, his Harley rides, his treasured friends, his Saturday night steaks and martini with two olives. He was the consummate joker; he loved to tease. We will miss him forever.

Colonel Burwell was preceded in death by his parents, Lewis and Edith Burwell and his sisters Margaret Barnhardt and Lynne Abraham. He is survived by Judy, his loving wife of 50 years; his daughter and son-in-law, Brennan and Nick Blanchard; his son Lewis Carter Burwell IV "Bo" and his son's companion, Janelle Bricker, and three grandchildren, Nicholas Carter "Cole", Noah Ward, and Lyla Carolina Blanchard, who adored their "Popeye", his brothers, Henry and Robert, and his sisters-in-law Ellaine Burwell and Lynda Whitehead, their families, and a host of nieces and nephews.

Visitation will be held 10:45am until the Funeral Service at 11:45am Friday, March 2, 2018 at Harper-Morris Memorial Chapel, with Chaplain Ken Griffin officiating. Burial will follow at Barrancas National Cemetery, with full Air Force honors.

In lieu of flowers the family requests memorial donations be made to the Pensacola Humane Society or your local Humane Society.